This Woman Needs
by Leiria
Summary: They have a life now that the war is over. It's filled with work and babies and laundry. But there's something that Hermione needs and, somehow, Harry knows exactly what it is. A cute little one-shot that came to me while I was listening to music not too long ago. Songfic. H/Hr post-DH though not cannon.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. The song is _This Woman Needs_ by SHeDAISY and I don't own it either. No copyright infringement is intended.

**This Woman Needs**

_This woman that takes on the world  
And picks up your shirts keeps it together somehow  
This same woman that melts with your touch  
Wants you to feel what I'm feeling right now_

Hermione sighed as she picked up the last of the laundry and tossed it into the hamper. The world had changed in the years since the war had ended and life had become domesticated. Her days had become filled with cooking, cleaning, diapers, and approving the articles that came across her desk before they became the published version of the newspaper that had taken the Wizarding World by storm in the last two years. The _Daily Prophet_ had struggled for more than a year to keep up with the new publication, but having the endorsement of the Boy Who Lived had made it impossible for others to compete. Hermione loved her life, but sometimes she still felt that it could all end in an instant.

Stumbling over a squeaky baby toy, Hermione muttered under her breath as she stooped to pick it up and toss it into the other room. She rubbed at her neck and poured herself a cup of tea in the kitchen before she sat down at the table and slowly sipped it. She sighed and held the cup to her forehead, closing her eyes for a few stolen moments of silence. The baby was asleep, as were the dog and cat, and nothing needed to be done that instant. She could let her tense muscles relax just a little bit.

Hermione yawned before she took another sip of her tea and stretched her neck out. As she put the cup down and rubbed at her eyes, she heard the flutter of wings at the window. Hermione looked up and saw an owl from the ministry, waiting to be let in. As always, she felt that familiar flutter in her chest as she opened the window, expecting to hear that Harry was dead but hoping he was only going to be late.

The letter was written by him, which was always a good sign in Hermione's eyes. If he had written it, then nothing had happened to him. The letter said that he and his partner had to check out some sort of dark wizard in the country and that he'd be home pretty late. Hermione sighed and felt a stab of jealousy. Hermione used to be the one who went with him on these kinds of things. They spent seven years fighting dark wizards and other secrets that had been buried. Now he was partnered up with _her_ and _she_ made it clear that she was interested in being more than partners with the Boy Who Lived.

It didn't help Hermione's confidence to know that the woman was really pretty either. She had one of those perfect figures that clearly said that she wasn't a mother and didn't plan to be. She had that perfect hourglass figure and those perfect measurements. She also had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a tan that spoke of hours and hours of care in her appearance. Hermione, when she'd heard that Harry's partner was going to be a woman, had hoped that she would be hideous or grotesque. She'd hoped that whoever the woman was had one eye and burn scars and smelled like burnt hair.

Then she'd met Viviane and the green monster had reared its very ugly head. Hermione's figure had filled out thanks to having Harry's daughter. Pregnancy cravings had even caused Harry to gain a little weight as he tried some of the things she'd just _had_ to have. Her cooking had improved. It was so much better now that Harry was still filling out a bit because he kept going back for seconds. It made her smile to know that she had improved that much since their journey to destroy Voldemort.

Thoughts went through her mind about Harry and Viviane doing things he had only ever done with her. She pushed those thoughts away, knowing that Harry wouldn't even dream of cheating on her. She knew it was just her jealousy trying to make her do something stupid. She knew that the thoughts were idle and had no weight. It didn't stop them from hurting. It didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat or the tears from stinging her eyes.

She heard a baby cry and sighed, pushing those thoughts back. There wasn't time to entertain thoughts that had no reason to be when there was a baby to take care of and laundry to be done.

_'Cause this woman needs  
A safe place to land  
The strength in your hands  
To know you know  
What this woman needs  
Is somewhere to cry  
So lay by my side  
And I'll tell you  
What this woman needs_

Harry didn't get home until almost midnight and his arm was bandaged when he walked through the door. He saw Hermione asleep on the sofa with the baby fast asleep on her chest and froze, wishing that he could hold this moment in time for the rest of his life. If he didn't move, maybe the moment wouldn't end and he would never have to watch the baby grow up into a woman before his very eyes. Maybe if he didn't move, the moment would last until the end of time and he would never have to spend another evening away from his family.

He softly shut the door behind him, careful to not make a sound. As the deadbolt slid home, though, Hermione twitched and Harry knew that she was waking up. The smallest sounds lately were enough to rouse her from a deep sleep. Harry hung up his cloak as quietly as he could and tiptoed over to the pair of them. He brushed Hermione's hair out of her face and smiled at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He kissed her forehead and gently lifted the baby from her, careful to not wake his sleeping daughter.

Hermione's brown eyes opened as Harry began to stand once more. "Hey," she whispered with a smile. Harry smiled back down at her. "Hi," he replied. "I'm going to put her in bed," he said. Hermione nodded and watched as Harry retreated down the hall to the nursery. She yawned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. She straightened her shirt before she stood up and walked to the kitchen to put some water on the stove for tea.

The water wasn't quite boiling as Harry came into the kitchen. He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach as he kissed her neck. "How's the most beautiful woman in the world doing today?" he asked.

Hermione chuckled, not feeling like the world's most beautiful woman, but smiling nonetheless. "Tired," she said.

"I would assume that's why you were asleep when I came home," Harry said with a chuckle. He kissed her neck again and sighed. "Sorry I'm so late," he said. "We got word of a rouge werewolf who had a wizard who had figured out how to manipulate it so that the werewolf attacked certain people on the full moons. We got the green light to go in tonight and take care of the wizard. Another department is dealing with the werewolf…."

"How many people were hurt?" Hermione asked.

"Fifteen," Harry replied before he held Hermione more tightly, burying his face into her brown curls. Hermione turned off the heat of the stove and turned in Harry's arms to face him. She held his face in her hands and saw that haunted look in his eyes. "You stopped it," she said softly. "It's not going to happen again."

"Not there," Harry agreed. "But there's still fifty other people we're looking into," he said. "When we get through that fifty, there's going to be fifty more. It never stops, Hermione," he said. "I don't know how much more I can stand before I'm ready to give up."

"Well, we always knew that you wouldn't want to do this forever," Hermione replied. "That was never in question. The question is and always has been how long you're willing to do this. You have other options. You can even come to the paper if you want. I'm sure you can get on a Quidditch team really easily."

"I haven't played since I was fifteen," Harry said softly. "I don't even know if I'm any good anymore."

"I'm sure you are," Hermione said before she kissed Harry. "And if you play Quidditch again, I won't have to worry about Viviane putting her charm on you."

Harry sighed before he held Hermione's face in his hands and kissed her. "You _know_ that there is nothing between her and I beyond a business relationship, despite her desire for more," he said, making sure his eyes never left hers. "Viviane is a beautiful woman, yes, but _you_ are _extraordinary_. I look at you and you steal my breath away. I married you," Harry said softly. He kissed her again. Hermione melted into his kiss, feeling reassured.

_To be reassured  
My heart's your home and love is what wills you to stay  
I need you to see me in every light  
And hear that you still think I'm beautiful anyway_

It was the first time in a while that they made their way to the bedroom with that intent. They were often tired from their various daily tasks that making love was often put off. Lily was only a few months old and Hermione had only recently desired the intimacy again. They both silently prayed that the baby would stay asleep so that they could have their time in the bedroom together.

Harry made Hermione feel like she was the only woman in the world again. He practically worshiped her, making her feel as beautiful as he said she was. It was only made better by the rattle on the floor that Harry stumbled on and the way that they left the door cracked so that they could listen for the baby.

They smiled at each other and kissed as Harry entered her body. The passion rose around them with every movement and came to an earth shaking climax that took their breath away. Hermione wrapped her arms and legs around Harry, clutching him to her as tightly as she could. Harry wrapped his arms around her shoulders and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you too," Hermione breathlessly replied. They got to enjoy sitting in the afterglow for only a few more moments before the first little cough could be heard. They both hesitated, waiting for the cry. When it happened, they both sighed and chuckled.

"I'll take care of her," Harry said before he kissed her again. He waved his wand at himself to clean off before he pulled on pants and left the room. Hermione sighed as she looked up at the ceiling with a smile on her face. Her eyes drifted closed and she thought of what things would be like if Harry returned to Quidditch. Either way, she'd be worried about him; he'd be traveling and there were going to be more beautiful women in that field.

Still, this way she'd be able to see what he does at work instead of watching him move around with that haunted look on his face. Hermione much preferred the thought of Harry up on a broom than fighting a wizard who figured out how to control a werewolf on a full moon and have that werewolf attack specific people. She missed watching him fly.

Harry came back into the bedroom and saw Hermione still lying where he'd left her. "Ooh," he said with a smile. "Nice view," he said, causing her to chuckle. "She's asleep again," Harry said.

Hermione nodded. "That's good," she said before she yawned. "Come back to bed then," she said, pulling the comforter up over her. Harry nodded before he obliged and climbed back onto the bed. He slid under the covers and spooned Hermione, wrapping an arm around her stomach and tucking the other one under his head. He kissed her shoulder and sighed. "I love you," he said softly.

Hermione smiled. "I love you too," she replied.


End file.
